Its only 3 days until my first marathon, yes the marathon. The one I am prepared to run to afford 1445 South African kids their first ever reading book. I wish I could call it a run, you know, 5 or 10 kms as I would be confident that it would go well but as soon as you start saying marathon when referring to runs you know it’s getting serious (even a half marathon is hard work)
So this week I’m doing what the experts called tapering. Basically my mileage has become less to allow my muscles to repair themselves for the race day. During this time you try to run less(believe me that’s also a challenge when you are used to waking up at 6am to run in the dark) and it’s at this time you also eat lots of carbs and enjoy the pasta parties that you are invited to.
Ive also in the meantime developed a funny pain on my lower leg, I hope just hope it’s gone on race day. Maybe it’s the nerves, wouldn’t be fun to run with the pain, but if it means it has to be done that way then so be it.
I guess now that the big day is getting closer I’m also thinking a lot about my training from the past months. A lot like in life, missed runs don’t count anymore, kind of like missed opportunities. Could’ve, would’ve and should’ve are words that I’m not even thinking right now.
This project hasn’t come without sacrifices especially when you are training in the German winter. This means training in minus degrees and saying no to late nights out. That’s life hey, more often than once, something has got to give. I’ve put my heart into my fundraising project, I’ve talked for hours about it to anyone who could listen and I’ve carried the Book Dash books with me just to show people the motivation behind my run. When I look into my sent items and all the subject lines of most emails sent read “My first marathon for their first books” I see how much this project has changes my daily routine and I wouldnt have it any other way.
In the mist of all this, Im writing my first exams as a masters student in Germany- sounds like the worst time to run a marathon, I know.. but when would it have been the perfect time? I really have enough on my plate and shouldn’t need more, but I wanted to do this and no matter what happens on Sunday, I know it’s for a good cause. I’m not going to wait for the perfect conditions; I’m simply going to get this done.
I want to wish all the other runners (Mihaela, Lina , Deike, Flo and the Deutsche Welle team) that will also be running on Sunday an amazing race.
Id say “ break a leg” but that’s not what a runner wants to hear.
Photocredit: Mia Simo
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